DUBLIN SIMON COMMUNITY WELCOMES EXTRA BEDS BUT SAYS THERE IS A LACK OF LONG TERM VISION FOR HOMELESS CRISIS

Prevention measures and long term accommodation needed to stop the ever rising flow of people and families into homelessness

In reaction to the provision of almost 200 cold weather emergency beds, the Dublin Simon Community today (04 Nov) said that the extra beds are welcome and critical to get people off the streets this winter. Simon are warning that because of the lack of long term vision from the Government, the extra beds initiative will feed into the bottle neck of emergency bed provision.

Sam McGuinness CEO of the Dublin Simon Community stated;

“Following the tragic death of Jonathon Corrie on our streets last December, the Government responded with 271 emergency beds. These short term beds have become long term and have since been absorbed into the emergency system.”

“We now are faced with a situation where 2,330 adults, 637 families and 1343 children are stuck in the misery and uncertainty of emergency accommodation without any prospect of permanent housing to move onto.”

“The extra beds will thankfully move people from the vulnerability of the streets; however they will simply add to the emergency figures which have been steadily increasing since the last year. The latest figures from the Department of the Environment showed that adults in emergency accommodation has increased by 43% and families by 106%.”

Sam McGuinness continued: “Without the prevention initiatives such as the provision of adequate rent certainty measures and an increase in rent supplement, there is nothing to curtail the ever rising flow of people into homelessness. Rent supplement limits are simply too low, as rents continue to soar in Dublin and the number of homes available to rent decreases.”

“The need for action in the private rental market was highlighted by a report from the Dublin Region Homeless Executive who, from a survey of 79 families who had never been homeless before, found that 50% lost their homes due to loss of, or inability to secure, private rented accommodation. Without any measures such as an increase in rent supplement coupled with rent certainty, we are predicting that the number of families and children without a home will increase to 767 and 1,610 by December.”

“As an immediate and minimal response, Dublin Simon Community is once again calling for an instant increase in rent supplement, the implementation of rent certainty and the visibility of the provision of long term accommodation for people without a home. Unless urgently addressed, more people will suffer, more people will end up homeless and trapped in emergency accommodation.”